Liverpool’s stricken visitor economy looks to post-virus recovery

Liverpool BID Company and Marketing Liverpool is bringing together a panel of key visitor economy figures to discuss how the sector moves on from the coronavirus crisis. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool city region’s visitor economy is worth £5bn a year

Key figures in Liverpool city region’s visitor economy will come together this week to discuss how the sector can recover post-coronavirus.

The virtual event taking place this Thursday is part of the Liverpool BID Company’s webinar series during this current crisis, which aim to provide a voice and a platform for a range of industries and sectors within Liverpool.

Being organised jointly between the BID and Marketing Liverpool, the webinar will discuss the impact of the coronavirus, and what work is being done to support the sector ahead of the lockdown being lifted and beyond. 

The panel includes Ben Williams from ACC Liverpool, Bill Addy from Liverpool BID Company, Claire McColgan from Culture Liverpool, Chris Brown from Marketing Liverpool, Donna Howitt from Liverpool ONE, Laura Pye from National Museums Liverpool, Paul Askew from The Art School, Richard Kenyon from Everton FC and Steven Hesketh from Savvy Hotels.

READ MORE: Coronavirus is a ‘cataclysmic shock’ for Liverpool’s economy

Liverpool city region’s visitor economy has been on an upward growth curve for more than a decade. It is currently worth around £5bn a year, attracts tens of millions of visitors and employs more than 57,000 people. However, the spread of the coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown has been devastating for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, the drivers of the city region’s visitor economy.

Last week the BID joined the national #RaiseTheBar campaign which aims to persuade the Government to expand its coronavirus support grants retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with a rateable value of £51,000 and above. They are currently excluded from the scheme.

Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID and chair of the BID Foundation, said: “We cannot underestimate the importance of our retail, hospitality and leisure sectors and not just to what they bring to our economy but the people that are employed within them.”

The webinar takes place from 12-1pm on Thursday, April 30. Click here to register for the event. Questions can be submitted via #AskLiverpoolBID on Twitter or via email info@liverpoolbidcompany.com

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